New US ‘Hughes’ wildfire rips through mountains north of Los Angeles

Emergency vehicles at the scene of the Hughes Fire in Castaic, a northwestern neighbourhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 22, 2025 [Frederic J Brown/AFP]

A fast-moving wildfire broke out in the mountains north of Los Angeles and ripped through an estimated 21 square kilometres (8.1 square miles) of trees and brush leading to thousands of evacuation orders for local residents and sending an enormous plume of dark smoke into the sky.

Firefighters said on Wednesday the Hughes Fire in the Castaic Lake area of Los Angeles County – located about 80km (50 miles) north of the city of Los Angeles – prompted evacuation orders to local residents amid the “immediate threat to life” due to the blaze.